‘Well, it’s not much further,’ Barton grunted. ‘Which is lucky because whoever’s driving that horse trailer can’t be doing more than fifty. Let’s step on it.’
‘Better not,’ Leo advised quickly. ‘If you’re tired—’
‘The sooner we’re there the better. Here we go.’
He pulled out behind the horse trailer and speeded up to pass it. Glancing out of his window Leo saw the trailer slide back past them, then the van in front. He had a glimpse of the driver, a young woman with short, bristly red hair. She glanced up briefly and saw him looking at her.
What happened next became a bone of contention between them. She always said he winked at her. He swore she’d winked at him first. She said no way! It was a trick of the light and he had windmills in his head. They never did settle it.
Then Barton put his foot down, and they left her behind.
‘Did you see that?’ Leo asked. ‘She winked at me. Barton? Barton!’
‘OK, OK, I was just resting my eyes for a moment. But maybe you’d better talk to me—you know, just—sort of—’
‘Just sort of keep you awake. Well, I’m not sure that overtaking has left us any better off.’ Leo said, observing the pick-up truck that was now just ahead of them, and which was being driven erratically, swerving from lane to lane. Barton swung right, meaning to overtake again, but the truck swung at the same moment, blocking him so that he had to fall back. He tried once more and the truck swung out a second time, and then slowed abruptly.
‘Barton!’ Leo said urgently, for his friend hadn’t reacted.
At last Barton’s reflexes seemed to kick in. It was too late to slow down. Only a halt would avoid a collision now and he slammed on the brakes, stopping just in time.
The van behind them wasn’t so lucky. From out of sight came a squeal of brakes, then a thump, a shudder that went right through the car, and finally a howl of rage and anguish.
The truck that had caused the trouble sped on its way, the driver oblivious. The two men leapt out and ran behind to inspect the damage. The sight that met their eyes appalled them.
There was an ugly dent in the back of Barton’s pride and joy, which exactly mirrored one in the front of the van. At the rear of the van things were even worse. The sudden braking had caused the horse trailer to slew sideways and crash against the vehicle with a force that had dented them both. The trailer had half overturned and was leaning drunkenly against the van, while inside, the terrified animal was lashing out, completing the demolition. Leo could see flying hooves appearing through the widening holes, then retreating for more kicks.
The young woman with red hair was struggling to get the trailer upright, an impossible task, but she went at it with frantic strength.
‘Don’t do that,’ Leo yelled. ‘You’ll get hurt.’
She turned on him. ‘Stay out of it!’ Her forehead was bleeding.
‘You’re hurt,’ he said. ‘Let me help—’
‘I said stay out of it. Haven’t you done enough?’
‘Hey, I wasn’t driving, and anyway it wasn’t our—’
‘What do I care which of you was driving? You’re all the same. You rush around in your flash cars as though you owned the road, and you could have killed Elliot.’
‘Elliot?’
Another crash from inside the trailer answered his question. The next moment the door had given way and the horse, hooves flailing, leapt out and into the road. Leo and the young woman raced for his head, but he evaded them both and galloped away, straight across the highway. Without a second’s hesitation she tore after him, dodging the oncoming traffic.
‘Crazy woman!’ Leo said violently, and took off after her.
More squeals, braking, curses, frustrated drivers bawling graphic descriptions of how they would like to alter Leo’s personal attributes. He ignored them and sprinted madly after her.
Barton scratched his head, muttered, ‘Crazy as each other,’ and got out his mobile phone.
Luckily for his two pursuers Elliot was slightly hurt and unable to go fast. Unluckily for them he was determined not to be caught. What he couldn’t manage in speed he made up for in cunning, turning this way and that until he vanished into a clump of trees.
‘You go that way,’ Leo roared, ‘I’ll go this way, and between us we’ll head him off.’
But their best efforts were unable to persuade the horse. Selena nearly succeeded, calling his name so that he paused and looked back. But then he was off again, managing to dart between them and heading back the way he’d come.
‘Oh, no!’ Leo breathed. ‘Not the highway.’
In a frighteningly short space of time the traffic was in sight again. Appalled at what he could imagine happening, Leo put on a burst of speed, commanding his long legs to do their stuff. They obliged and he just made it, seizing the bridle with two yards to spare.
Elliot eyed him warily, but with Leo’s first soothing words something seemed to come over him. He’d never heard the words before, for they were Italian, but Leo had the voice of a man who loved horses, speaking a universal language of affection. Elliot’s shivering abated and he stood still, nervous and confused, but willing to trust.
Selena noticed all this subconsciously while she covered the last few yards, and the easy conquering of her beloved Elliot did nothing to improve her temper. Nor did the expert way this man was examining the animal’s fetlocks, running gentle hands over them and finally saying, ‘I don’t think it’s more serious than a slight strain, but a vet will confirm it.’
A vet’s bill, when she was already scraping the bottom of her financial barrel. Lest he suspect that she was verging on despair she turned away, brushing a hand fiercely across her eyes. When she turned back anger and accusation were in place like a visor.
‘More than a slight strain,’ she echoed bitterly. ‘There needn’t have been any strain if you hadn’t braked so suddenly.’
‘Excuse me, I didn’t do anything because I wasn’t driving,’ Leo said, breathing hard after his exertions. ‘That was my friend, and it wasn’t his fault either. Try blaming the guy who slowed in front of us. Not that you can do that because he’s long gone, but if there’s any fairness in the world—hell, what would you know about fairness?’
‘I know about my injured horse and my damaged van. I know they got that way because I had to slam on my brakes at the last minute—’
‘Ah, yes, your brakes. I’d be very interested to see your brakes. I’ll bet they’d really prove interesting.’
‘So now you’re trying to put the blame on me!’
‘I’m just—’
‘That’s the oldest scam in the book and you should be ashamed to try it.’
‘I—’
‘I know your sort. You think “woman alone”, must be helpless. Let’s try it on, see if she scares easy.’
‘It never crossed my mind that you scared easy,’ Leo retorted with perfect truth. ‘As for helpless, I’ve seen man-eating tigers who were more helpless.’
Barton had crossed the road and caught up with them.
‘Hold on a minute, Leo—’
Leo was normally the most easygoing of men, but he had a Latin temper that could flare impressively when it got going. It was going now.
‘We’re here aren’t we? So blame us. We’re just